How to Spring Clean the Laundry Room

The laundry room is part of the house too. You may not think about it much because you never go in there unless you're actually doing laundry. However, this tiny, neglected room collects just as much dirt and debris as any other room, often more so. Even if you only spend an hour or so in the laundry room each week, you want to know you're spending that time in a clean environment. That's why it's important to take the time to spring clean the laundry room each year.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dust cloth
• Paint
• Wooden spoon
• Bug spray

Get Your Laundry Room Into Spic and Span Shape

1. Remove everything from the laundry room shelves.

2. Pick through the items from the shelves and decide what is still needed and what can be thrown away. Things like old boxes of detergent that have hardened and dryer sheets that have grown dusty with age are likely candidates for the garbage bin.

3. Dust the surfaces (top and bottom) of the laundry room shelves. Afterward, replace the objects you removed from the shelves.

4. Use warm water, mild soap and a clean cloth to wash the surfaces of the washing machine and dryer. Make sure to get the knobs, switches and dials as well.

5. Open the washing machine and dryer. If there are any old stains inside, wash them off with the same soapy solution and cloth you used to clean the outer portions.

6. Remove the lint from the lint trap on the dryer.

7. Dust any lighting fixtures, light bulbs and windowsills in the laundry room.

8. Touch up any spots on the walls that need new paint. Make sure you use paint that matches the color that's already on the walls.

9. Remove any area rugs or mats on the floor and take them outside. If they are vinyl or rubber, you can rinse them off with a garden hose. If the rugs are cloth, drape them over a low tree branch and beat the dust out of them with a wooden spoon or clean broom.

10. Finish your spring cleaning by mopping the laundry room floor. Once it's dry again, replace the rugs or mats.

Tips & Warnings

• When you spring clean the laundry room, watch out for bugs. The unused and often warm environment of these rooms makes them perfect for infestations of all kinds. When removing boxes and containers from shelves, you may encounter roaches, spiders, silverfish, flies and fleas, among other things. Keeping a bottle of bug spray handy will help you deflect any potential onslaughts.